If you consider virtual reality options to be limited to gaming, you certainly aren’t alone. But the real reality is that this technology could soon help you to buy or sell your home. While 37% of adults have never left their hometowns, the majority of us have had to move to a new community at least once in our lives. If you’re moving to an entirely different state, the process of buying a home can be an expensive endeavor — and that’s before you even find one you like. The costs associated with traveling in and out of state to purchase a home can add up quickly. And if you’re in a whole new place, you’ll want to know what you’re getting into before you sign on the dotted line. That’s just one of the ways in which virtual reality technology can be helpful for homebuyers. Matterport, a San Francisco-based media technology company, provides real estate agents and brokers with 3-D cameras that will capture the entire interior of a home. Then, the company pieces the images together in order to create a complete walkthrough of the home. Matterport uploads this walkthrough to a cloud hosting service, allowing prospective buyers to view 3-D models of the property using a computer, tablet, smartphone, or virtual reality headset. Matterport is also experimenting with augmented reality elements in these walkthroughs. CEO Bill Brown says that “in addition to being able to walk through the space, people can mark in objects within the space, and they can annotate those objects.” That means that future buyers can make note of features they like, such as appliances with energy-efficient features or desirables like granite countertops. In highly competitive markets, having access to this technology can be a real asset. These...

Breast cancer is all too common in the United States, where about one in every eight women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. However, a recently approved drug has been found to potentially slow the progression of advanced breast cancer. The drug, palbociclib (Ibrance), was approved by the FDA last year for the treatment of ER-positive breast cancer, a specific strain of cancer fueled in part by estrogen. The approval for this drug came after a clinical trial that utilized two medications, a standard cancer treatment drug Femara, and Ibrance. Researchers found that patients who used both medicines in conjunction doubled the length of their remission, compared to only using Femara. In this latest trial, researchers randomly selected 666 women to receive the drug duo or just Femara. They found that in those who only took Ibrance or Femara , 44% and 62% had died or seen their cancer spread, respectively. However, the cancer of those who were prescribed both not only went into remission but didn’t spread to any other areas of the body. Among the postmenopausal women in the trial, the average length of remission was two years when taking Ibrance in addition to Femara. Ibrance is one of the first drugs that prevents two separate enzymes, CDK4 and CDK6, from spreading ER-positive breast tumors. The patient would take the tablet medication daily for three weeks, followed by one week off. Comparatively, Femara works by decreasing the estrogen levels in the body. Considering the fact that two-thirds of all breast cancer cases have receptors for estrogen and/or progesterone, the researchers on this trial are exceptionally happy with these results. “We found that the degree of clinical benefit was, again, remarkable,” said lead researcher Dr. Richard Finn, an...

With Black Friday spilling over into Thanksgiving dinner, the “holiday creep” is already testing its limits this year. Wal-Mart, however, is taking it even one step further by starting Cyber Monday on Black Friday. The world’s largest retailer, eager to start making that holiday cash, won’t even wait for the weekend to pass before offering big online sales. In fact, they don’t even intend to wait until the turkey is cooked. Wal-Mart’s Cyber Monday will kick off at 12:01 a.m. EST on Friday morning; however, Walmart.com will start its online Black Friday sale at 12:01 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. By offering their Black Friday sales online on Thanksgiving, Wal-Mart is blurring the lines between the two sale-snatching celebrations Americans typically indulge in after Thanksgiving. Not only are they starting their online sales earlier than usual, Wal-Mart will also beef up its product offering from 8 million items to more than 23 million. “By tripling our online product assortment, we’re able to offer a lot more new brands and choices to customers all season long,” said Steve Breen, senior vice president of merchandising for Walmart.com. Every holiday season, retailers try to one-up each other in order to grab a larger share of consumers’ wallets earlier and earlier. Offering online deals is, undoubtedly, a smart move as more and more shoppers are making their holiday purchases online. Back in 2011, $1.1 trillion in sales were web-influenced, and even more sales can be attributed to the Internet today. In fact, global e-commerce generates over $931,000 every 30 seconds. The National Retail Federation estimates that about 137.4 million people will shop either online or in stores this holiday weekend. According to Adobe Digital Insights, Cyber Monday is poised to be the largest sales day of 2016, generating roughly...

A new not-for-profit is aiming to combat poverty, unemployment, and housing problems all at once with one simple solution: shipping containers. Urban designer and social entrepreneur Wanona Satcher founded ReJuve Corporation a little over a year ago with the intention of upcycling old shipping containers into the “tiny houses” that have become vogue for eco-conscious — but usually rural — home dwellers. ReJuve, however, wants to utilize these highly cost-efficient and practical living spaces for struggling urban communities that already have housing infrastructure in place but suffer from a lack of affordable developments. “Inner city communities are plagued by increased housing costs, cheap land due to blight, lack of jobs and no access to services, technological and entrepreneurial resources and too many systems to navigate,” reads ReJuve’s crowdfunding page. So far, the company has raised nearly $5,000 of its $20,000 goal to put its first project into action. “As cheap property is acquired and then developed into high market housing existing families that can’t afford to stay are pushed out of their homes with no equity, no resources, no jobs, no ownership and no sense of community.” The ready-to-go shipping container homes, what ReJuve calls “Plug In Pods,” are the ideal solution, Satcher says. With only 6 million of the estimated 17 million shipping containers around the world actually in use for trade, that leaves some 11 million containers that could be converted into homes for people in need of housing. In a recent interview with Forbes, Satcher revealed that she also plans to start a for-profit company to manage real estate development, landscape architecture, master planning, and urban design services for ReJuve. The company isn’t solely focused on urban blight, either; Satcher envisions containers as useful for building more affluent homes, as well...

Hospitality businesses should be on high alert for attacks from a notorious gang. But rather than doing physical harm, this group is attempting something much more sinister: they use malware attacks to steal countless credit card numbers. A 2013 study found that an average of 82,000 new malware threats occur on a daily basis. That number has most likely increased within the last three years, especially as more organized cybercriminal groups choose to orchestrate widespread attacks. A security firm called Trustwave confirmed that three of the company’s clients have fallen victim to malware attacks in the last month. Although not confirmed, the offenders behind the attacks are likely the Carbanak gang, which was blamed for stealing nearly $1 billion from numerous banks last year. The malware coding in these recent attacks matches that of previous onslaughts perpetrated by the group. The recent invasion has targeted the hospitality industry, including hotels and restaurants. The culprits will call a customer service line and pretend to be customers who are unable to access the business’s reservation system online. They will then send an email to the customer service representative. These emails have Word documents attached that supposedly contain their reservation information. Instead, opening these documents will allow malware to be downloaded to the computer system. These hackers are particularly persistent, as they seem to be doing a lot of research through sites like LinkedIn in order to sound more legitimate. “During the call, they’ll do some name-dropping to establish credibility,” says Brian Hussey, the global director of incident response for Trustwave. He says they’ll also insist on staying on the line with the rep until the document is opened. After the malware is installed on the computer, it turns vicious. The entire point of the attack is...

Almost half of all U.S. residents report being more concerned about traveling than in the past. However, a new U.S. technology company is hoping to eliminate this stress by dramatically cutting down the travel time with their new transportation innovation. The California-based company Hyperloop One has recently signed a deal with emirate country Dubai to create a train that looks like it’s right out of the future. This electromagnetic train will run at 500 mph and will connect Dubai to Emirati capital Abu Dhabi in just 12 minutes. The distance between these two cities is 90 miles. Instead of using traditional wheels, the Hyperloop One train will use electromagnetic technology. The train will be composed of wheelless pods that travel within an enclosed low-pressure tube. This technology will allow the train to travel at an unprecedentedly fast speed. Electromagnetic travel was the brainchild of Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO, Elton Musk. Hyperloop One is just one of the companies looking to bring his idea to life, while the other — Hyperloop Transportation Technologies — is currently working with French railway company SNCF to develop high-speed transport all throughout France. Hyperloop’s CEO Rob Lloyd explained to the Telegraph, “from a technological point of view, we could have a Hyperloop One system built in the UAE in the next five years.” The company then hopes to expand its projects to neighboring Gulf countries. Their next goal is to complete a trip between Dubai and Saudi capital Riyadh — a trip that typically takes two hours by plane — in under 50 minutes. However, Mattar al-Tayer, Dubai Road Transport Authority’s director general, explains that the cost of building this futuristic system is a crucial factor in their decision-making process, in addition to safety concerns. Earlier this...

From the release of the iPhone 7 to the malfunctioning Android Note 7, it seems like smartphones and technological advances are always in the news these days. Indeed, the revenues of consumer electronics and appliance rentals are projected to reach 5.7 billion U.S. dollars this year. Soon, the way that these technologies dominate our world may be changing, and the change is signaled by yet another noteworthy gadget release — Huawei Technologies has just released a new smartphone, complete with new artificial intelligence. Huawei hopes that their new technology will help them compete more directly with Apple and Samsung. The new Mate 9 is a fast phone with a long battery life and has a feature that enables it to learn about the habits of its user. It also automatically places most frequently used apps within easy reach, unlike the iPhone. “It learns how you use your phone,” said European head of handset portfolio and planning at Huawei, Arne Herkelmann. Indeed, the standard smartphone package is no longer enough. Manufacturers are looking for new ways to stand out and pioneer new trends. “AI and voice control will be main features on smartphones in the coming years,” said Roberta Cozza, an analyst at the research firm Gartner. The wave of new A.I. technologies is definitely coming. Last month, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, launch the Pixel smartphone, which carries Google Assistant, the voice-activated A.I. Samsung, still reeling from the huge blow of its failed flagship phone, said it was going to purchase Viv, run by co-creators of Apple’s Siri, in order to integrate voice-assistant services into its devices. The Mate 9, among other things, also offers a 5.9-inch screen, a camera with autofocus, and directional microphones with noise...

Across the U.S., there are currently 99 operating commercial nuclear reactors at 61 nuclear power plants. And it turns out that these powerful sites are not as secure as one would think. The culprit? Pagers. According to a report by computer security company Trend Micro, workers at nuclear plants across the nation have to follow government regulations and use pagers as their main form of communication. Problem is, this outdated form of technology puts the security of these plants at risk. Used by workers to send messages and alerts about power plant functions, these little pieces of technology have absolutely zero security features. Hackers are able to easily access the data that is sent, putting the entire nuclear plant and its critical infrastructure at risk. While earlier pagers would only send the user an alert that someone had called them, later models were able to display SMS text messages. It is this model that the workers are mandated to use, even though no one knows why. The researchers at Trend Micro collected over 55 million pager messages within four months from plants across the nation. They found that the confidential information sent was not secure at all. So what is at risk? Researchers told Science Alert that these pagers release passive intelligence. Basically, they give out confidential information to anyone that manages to listen in. “Pages, it turns out, are considered a source of high quality passive intelligence,” researchers explain in the report. “During four months of observation, we saw messages containing information on contact persons, locations inside manufacturers and electricity plants, [and] thresholds set in industrial control systems.” There was also identifying details on multiple critical operations. This information comes on the heels of a discovery that a German nuclear plant was infected...

The Dutchman responsible for almost breaking the Internet back in 2013 is going on trial this week. However, 39-year-old Sven Olaf Kamphuis is denouncing the case against him and refusing to show up in court. Instead, he will be represented by his lawyers in the southern Dutch city of Dordrecht. Kamphuis is accused of being the mastermind behind a massive distribution denial of service (DDoS) attack against Geneva and London-based volunteer group Spamhaus, which publishes spam blacklists used by networks to filter out unwanted emails. The organization blames Dutch web-hosting service Cyberbunker for the attack. Kamphuis was the spokesman for Cyberbunker at the time of the breech. The cyber attack and its subsequent domino effect was described by the Dutch daily tabloid Algemeen Dagblad to The Guardian as being “so big that the world came within a hair’s breadth of being without the Internet for a week.” The DDoS assaulted multiple websites with traffic from various sources in order to disrupt and/or seize servers. Experts said the DDoS flooded Spamhaus with 300 gigabytes per seconds of data, an unprecedented number compared to previous DDoS attacks measured at 50 gigabytes per second. This breach impacted nearly every connected Internet user worldwide. Considering the fact that global mobile traffic accounts for 10% of all Internet traffic, a simple crack in the Internet can potentially disrupt thousands in a split second. Shortly after, Kamphuis was arrested in Spain and extradited to the Netherlands, where he was remanded for two months. In response to the response, Cyberbunker said it had been unfairly labeled as a haven for cyber crime and spam. According to Kamphuis’s lawyer, he no longer lives in the Netherlands and is staying in either Berlin or Barcelona. Kamphuis has also counter-suing the Dutch state for...

Criminal scammers are more prevalent than ever in today’s high tech world. According to CBS Pittsburgh, some scams steal more than just a few bucks from people, and could actually pose a serious threat to Americans. People are ordering more prescription medications online than ever before, but this new innovation is creating more opportunity for criminal con artists. “My drug plan makes it cheaper to order online,” said Roberta, a prescription drug customer who was contacted by what she thought was the Drug Enforcement Administration and accused of illegally buying drugs. Jen Levinson, another online customer who was contacted by an alleged DEA agent, said that she was threatened with a warrant for her arrest if she refused to pay an expensive fine. “Typically, somebody will call an individual representing that they’re a DEA agent,” said DEA special agent John Wilson. “Usually, these people have purchased pharmaceuticals either by telephone or on a website, and they’ll tell the person that it’s illegal to do so and that they need to pay a fine to the government.” It’s important to keep in mind that if there is a government issue, a person will be contacted via U.S. mail and not over the phone. Another type of scam that’s been occurring lately, especially during hurricane season, is the roofing scam. In normal circumstances, a homeowner should have their roof inspected at least once or twice a year, but with all the inclement weather going on across the country, more and more people are in need of increased service. Scammers are trying to take advantage of this by offering roof repair online for relatively inexpensive prices, but charging a lot up front and then never performing any work. Beware of any and all online communication because of...

As if Uber weren’t dominating the highway roads enough already, now it is taking over the skies, too. Recent reports detail how the transportation company has employed a small fleet of drones to advertise its carpooling service, UberPOOL, in heavy-traffic areas of Mexico City. The “dronevertising” campaign uses small banner ads, attached to drones that hover before vehicle drivers who are stuck in deadlock traffic — a frequent occurrence in Mexico City, which is home to more than 8.8 million people and whose economy is on a rapid incline. Mexican exports from local factories have grown 13% since 2012. That population density and heavy industry has produced a notorious smog and air pollution problem in the city, which Uber’s ads were quick to remind people riding solo along the highway. “Driving by yourself? This is why you can never see the volcanoes,” one drone sign read in Spanish. Uber isn’t the first company to use aerial advertising to capture the eyes of an attentive audience — think airplane banners or blimp campaigns — and it’s not the first to try it with drones, either. There are dronevertising-focused companies in Philadelphia and Santa Monica, and some politicians have even used drones on the campaign trail. However, the very close-range ads used in Uber’s latest stunt may not be feasible — or legal — in other parts of the world. “I think particularly flying a drone near a roadway, especially a busy roadway, you run the risk not only of losing control of the drone and the drone hitting a vehicle, but you also might be distracting drivers,” said Lee Mauro, an aviation law attorney in Victoria, British Columbia. “That’s obviously going to be a concern for everybody.” While it’s likely we’ll see more drone advertising...

Nine out of 10 respondents in a National Sleep Foundation survey said that a comfortable mattress and pillow set is the single most important factor in getting a good night’s sleep, followed by comfortable sheets and bedding. They didn’t survey this small sleeper, though (not to mention her poor babysitter). Mikaela Long, a social media personality known for her funny Vine videos, was babysitting her niece for the first time when she saw something unusual and disturbing on the baby monitor. this is my 1st time babysitting & idk where i went wrong but my niece is currently asleep on her head do i call the parents or the exorcist pic.twitter.com/bGaTCFSiCz — Mikaela Long (@MikaelaLong) October 9, 2016 The baby was seen doing an Exorcist-style handstand — yes, really — in her sleep. “Do I call the parents or the exorcist?” Long joked to her online followers. The child is not yet a competitive gymnast, but she has shown significant promise in the sport. According to the baby’s mother, this has become a common sleeping position for her daughter. “She’s been quite acrobatic lately,” she said, also adding that her daughter usually ends up in a normal sleep position as the night goes on. While many digital skeptics were quick to claim that the sleeping toddler photo was a hoax, there are a number of similar photos from video baby monitors that have gone viral over the years. While pediatricians say it’s certainly bizarre, it’s also completely possible. Many modern parents are afraid to let babies sleep on their stomach or side, let alone upside down in an advanced yoga pose. In fact, according to Parents.com, “To reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, healthy babies should always be put to sleep on...

Italian researchers have recently discovered a treatment for low libido in men. Early morning exposure to bright light, which is widely used to alleviate the symptoms of seasonal depression, has proven to rev up testosterone production and boost sexual function. The study involved 38 male participants who have been diagnosed with problems surrounding sexual arousal. Scientists from the University of Siena found that the participants who were exposed to a specially designed light box for half an hour each morning had increases in testosterone and sexual satisfaction after two weeks. Men who live in the Northern Hemisphere experience an increase in testosterone production during the spring and summer, research shows. When autumn settles in, these men are at their peak in terms of sexual interest and arousal. However, as the days become shorter and the darkness lingers around longer, men in the Northern Hemisphere typically fall into a sexual slump caused by a decrease in testosterone production. “You see the effect of this in reproductive rates, with the month of June showing the highest rate of conception,” said the lead author of the study, Andrea Fagiolini. “The use of the light box really mimics what nature does.” According to Fagiolini, the exposure to bright light in the morning suppresses the production of melatonin, a chemical that shuts down testosterone production. Though scientists are not at the stage where they can recommend the light therapy as a clinical treatment, they do believe that light therapy may offer the same benefits as current medications in the future, but without the negative side effects. Approximately 40% of men over the age of 45 have low testosterone. Current treatments include hormone injections, antidepressants, and other medications. Before they can introduce light therapy as a viable treatment option, Professor...

A new milestone has been reached in the dawning of the self-driving car. On Wednesday, October 5, Google’s autonomous car program hit 2 million miles driven on public roads. By navigating the city streets in four separate states, the self-driving vehicles are gathering a wide array of data, including how to maneuver through construction zones, respond to bicyclists’ hand signals, and interact with pedestrians. “There are miles and then there are miles,” said Dmitri Dolgov, the software lead on Google’s car program. “An even better way to think about it is not just in terms of miles or time, rather it’s the number of interactions that you have with the world and richness and complexity of those interactions.” In just over a year, the program went from 1 million to 2 million miles, and in that time span, the self-driving vehicle industry has changed and expanded dramatically. A number of auto companies have begun development on their own models, including Tesla Motors, General Motors, and Ford Motor Co. Recently, Uber started to test drive its own autonomous cars on the streets of Pittsburgh, and Apple announced its plans to create its own self-driving car. Lyft jumped on board as well, with co-founder John Zimmer announcing that “Autonomous vehicle fleets will quickly become widespread and will account for the majority of Lyft rides within five years.” According to Dolgov, the 2 million miles Google cars have traveled represent a whole 300 years of driving experience. On average, Americans drive their personal cars and trucks about 10,000 miles per year. Google cars are currently hitting about 25,000 miles each week. With so much experience already “under their belts,” it’s no wonder Google’s self-driving cars are already considered to be better drivers than the average human teenager....

Students at the Salem Community College in Alloway, New Jersey are learning to master the centuries-old art of glassblowing. But to these college kids, glassblowing is more than just an art: it can provide researchers with the valuable scientific tools they need in order to make cutting-edge advancements in their fields. The invention of glassblowing can be traced back to the establishment of the Roman Empire. Prior to this, making glass was a slow and limited process. The Romans discovered that molten glass could be gathered on the end of a pipe in order to be inflated and then shaped — thus creating the concept of glassblowing. The college’s glassblowing program is the only one of its kind in the entire nation. Although glassblowing is undoubtedly a real art, the idea of using the process for something other than what we see at festivals and craft fairs is difficult for some to grasp. But the students in Salem’s program are instructed in a unique curriculum that melds the worlds of art and science. These glassblowing majors are required to learn the basics of organic chemistry and computer drafting in order to have a fuller understanding of how the tools they make will be used. Within the program, students use their glassblowing skills to make tools for research universities and glass manufacturers. Because these scientific tools require exact specifications, it’s a craft with no room for error. Program instructional chair, Dennis Briening, says that for a glassmaker, a millimeter is more like a mile. Briening was tasked with creating glassware while holding a tolerance of one-thousandth of an inch — a width thinner than that of a human hair. Like any discipline, the craft of glassblowing requires an immense amount of practice and dedication. Although...

According to a recent study conducted by OpenMarket, 72% of Millennials text 10 or more times a day. Even crazier, about 83% of them open their text messages within 90 seconds of receiving them. In other words, young people are texting a lot. But are Millennials’ texting habits actually hurting their relationships? According to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, men who send or receive a relatively high number of texts tend to be less satisfied in their romantic relationships. The study involved 276 participants between the ages of 18 and 25 who were in committed relationships. Couples completed a survey with questions about how often they talked via text and social media as well as what kinds of messages they sent. They also filled out questionnaires about how satisfied they were with their relationship. Results revealed that women who texted their partner often believed that their relationship was more stable. The same was not necessarily true for men. Lori Schade, the lead study author and a marriage and family therapist, said that, “Maybe it was a way for them to check out or not have to show up, by using their cellphone instead.” Also less satisfied in their relationships were women who often tried to discuss tough topics via text message. Texting may not be the best method of communication for serious subjects since the very nature of text messaging lacks the personal and emotional elements present in face-to-face conversation. While researchers cannot claim a direct cause-and-effect link between relationship problems and frequent texting, the data does suggest that the two are closely related. Based on this information, therapists are not discouraging young couples from texting each other. They are, however, suggesting that serious conversations and heartfelt...

3D printing has come a long way in the last few years. Although the 3D printing process has been around since the 1980s, it’s recently become a sophisticated and viable way to create almost anything. This technology is becoming more accessible and versatile, too. Not only can you create household knick-knacks and important gadgets with a 3D printer, you can even celebrate your special day with help from one. Believe it or not, weddings are becoming a popular outlet for 3D printing. Recent bride Nina Tandon decided that she wanted to walk down the aisle in a customized silk sari gown produced by a 3D printer. The vases for her floral centerpieces were made from 3D-printed molds, and the flowers in her bouquet and hair were, too. Most spectacularly, her customized engagement ring was formed by a 3D printer. Not surprisingly, the popularity of 3D printing — especially for big life events, like weddings — is much higher in the millennial sect. This is partially due to younger generations embracing new technologies and non-traditional options. In addition to being open to the idea of using 3D printing for weddings, millennials are also more positive about lab-created diamonds than those from older generations are. About 80% of millennials feel happy, or at least neutral, toward the idea of lab-created diamonds. It stands to reason that this positive attitude towards other new technologies would be observed in younger generations. But the newness is not the only draw. In addition to the cutting-edge aspect, millennials are seeking out uniqueness. Because digital fabrication allows for total customization, they can create one-of-a-kind pieces that are not only aesthetically interesting, but meaningful, too. In the case of Nina Tandon’s wedding to her husband, Noah Keating, their 3D-printed items held a...

There have been many documented medical issues resulting from sleep apnea, but as CBS news reports, erratic driving is now linked to sleep deprivation. “Worse lane position deviation is a marker of poor driving performance and this is significantly worse in sleep apnea patients who fail the simulator as compared to controls [people without a sleep disorder],” said study leader Dr. Akshay Dwarakanth. The study found that people with sleeping issues were much more likely to fail driving tests than people without the disorder. The most prevalent issue within these test subjects was lane deviation, which could result in serious roadway dangers. Dwarakanth and fellow researchers looked at 129 adults with untreated sleep apnea and 79 adults who sleep fine at night. “Comparing with controls may be useful in advising patients whether they are at increased risk of an accident,” added the researchers. Despite the fact that roughly 60 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea or some form of sleep disorder, there have been some major improvements in treatments over the last few years. According to The Australian, Chris Hart, a dentist who suffered from sleep apnea himself, developed a new device as he tried to stay awake in a café shop. The O2Vent concept was developed when Hart was just chewing on a straw out of boredom and sleep deprivation. Now, through Oventus Medical, Hart oversees the production of roughly 10,000 O2Vents a year. He plans on launching the device in the U.S. within the next six months. “There’s an awakening of the patient when they’re in treatment that life can be so much better,” said Hart. There are plenty of benefits of getting a healthy amount of sleep, including feeling more alert and productive throughout the day, improved immune systems, less fatigue,...

Netflix is asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to do something about the data cap users have on their plans. Netflix is the largest user of bandwidth on the Internet, accounting for over 38% of all traffic during primetime viewing hours. WKBW reports that cable companies, which also offer Internet services, cap users’ bandwidth in order to compete against companies like Netflix and Hulu. “Watching television shows and movies on the internet is no longer a novelty,” read Netflix’s letter to the FCC. “Consumers increasingly expect more from their broadband connection, and they expect that broadband Internet will deliver a television experience that is the same or better than what they receive from their cable service, satellite provider, or local broadcaster.” According to Fortune, Netflix’s letter comes at a strategic time, as the FCC is preparing its annual report for Congress outlining the state of broadband access in the United States — the “Broadband Progress Report.” Netflix believes the data caps aren’t consistent with the Telecommunications Act’s ruling, which calls for advanced telecommunications to be delivered to all Americans “in a reasonable and timely fashion.” “A data cap or allotment of 300 GB (gigabytes) of data per month or higher is required just to meet the Internet television needs of an average American,” Netflix added. Another main reason for Netflix’s complaint is the use of “zero ratings” for large phone companies. These companies are now using promotions that allow consumers to watch certain types of content without reducing their monthly data allotment. Netflix is claiming that those promotions violate the FCC’s “net neutrality” rules, which prohibit Internet providers from giving special treatment to certain types of content. “The Commission would keep an eye on new developments in this area and we are continuing to do so,” said Kim...

In today’s world, we not only expect our phones to be smart, but our houses, too. Although some smart home technologies are still in development, their existence is gaining in popularity. Just a few years ago, the possibility of buying a house loaded with built-in technology was restricted to the more affluent sectors of the buying market. Now, these smart homes are available for all different price ranges and types. Even homes that were built in the 1920s and ’30s are able to be renovated in ways that incorporate this coveted technology. Furthermore, there’s a larger demand to accompany these advancements. In a survey of approximately 22,000 prospective home buyers, 65% stated that they’d be willing to spend more money on a home equipped with smart technology. The catch is, these buyers want to purchase a move-in ready home. In a separate study, 54% of participants said that, in a choice between two otherwise identical homes, they would choose a home with smart technology. The allure of a smart home isn’t as unique to millennials as some might think, either. In addition to the 61% of millennials who would prefer a smart home, 59% of parents with dependent children would also favor one. Appraisers and agents are acknowledging the value smart technology can add to a home. On the minimal end, buyers expect to see houses equipped with smart security features, appliances that connect to networks, and smart thermostats for automatic temperature control. With advancements being made in smart technologies on a constant basis, sellers should think about incorporating these elements into their homes prior to listing. It can have a big effect on the final sales price, and given the growing economy, increased demand, and need for affordable housing, the market is expected...